Can a double dose of blood pressure med hurt - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

jeni304 · 12-19-2007, 05:32 AM

Can a double dose of blood pressure med hurt

bethsheba · 12-19-2007, 07:19 AM

You bet it can...and under certain conditons it could directly or indirectly kill.

Bethsheba

flowergirl2day · 12-19-2007, 07:13 PM

Hi,

Is there a way to prevent an accidental double-dosing? It seems that more and more often I forget whether or not I took my meds. If unsure, I just don't take them. This could be just as dangerous for me though as taking them twice. Those pill boxes labeled with the days of the week won't work for me. (I have two of them and can't use them).

flowergirl

famnd · 12-20-2007, 12:39 AM

Beth is right on target, you could be DOD at the ER especially with some of the more potent b/p meds such as lebatalol & clonidine. In fact my Dr. was really cautious RX them. She had me call her a few times to see what my reactions to the drugs were. Also we started with a small dose. Since I was very hyperthyroid at the time, she made sure that my head was clear enough to keep track of the meds.

So it depends on the particular med & whether or not it is taken with food which will slow the rate of absorption.

Since I had very limited experience taking meds on a regular basis, it was difficult getting used to having to eat (I have to take food with my meds) & take meds. One night when I was on Inderal, I was so tired & completely forgot to take it. I woke up & was in a panic like you wouldn't believe!!!!

So what I did was get a sheet of paper & put it on my counter so I could check off each med as I took it. I don't like the pill boxes either because my damaged fingers (from Cozaar) just make it took difficult to retreive the pills plus I don't like the meds all together. I think the meds retain their potency better if they are in a regular pill bottle so I keep one bottle as a stock bottle & have one for a week's worth of pills. That way you aren't exposing the whole batch of pills (90 days worth) to the air everyday. I want my money's worth from the meds & I don't want to take meds that may not be full strength.

Can you tell how much I dislike taking meds? Oh, for the carefree days when I could sometimes sleep to noon without a concern in the world that I had to get up & take my b/p & meds. Fam

bethsheba · 12-20-2007, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flowergirl2day

Hi,

Is there a way to prevent an accidental double-dosing? It seems that more and more often I forget whether or not I took my meds. If unsure, I just don't take them. This could be just as dangerous for me though as taking them twice. Those pill boxes labeled with the days of the week won't work for me. (I have two of them and can't use them).

flowergirl

Hi flowergirl,

I accidentally took a double dose...and I used the pill boxes, too. My bp med was the same color and shape as my vitamin pill...and it wasn't until after I swallowed two bp pills that I realized that the vitamin and bp pills were different SIZES. Under normal circumstances I would have caught this before popping the pills in my mouth but this was when I was experiencing extreme fatigue and brain fog.

As for the containers, why can't you use them? I have found over the years that there are many, many, many different varieties but one has to look to see what works for them.

Bethsheba

PS I still remember the look on my doctor's face when I told him I accidentally took a double dose...that should have been a clue that something was very wrong...but no one was paying attention, or asking the right questions, and I was too far gone at that time to ask for help.